KIEV — Russia should embrace NATO plans for missile defense because they will strengthen international security, Poland’s foreign minister said Wednesday ahead of talks between Moscow and the Western military alliance.
Radoslaw Sikorski also said NATO’s core task remained the defense of its member states and that should not be compromised by the current U.S.-led drive to “reset” ties with Russia.
“Russia should recognize that missiles will be a major threat in the 21st century. … We in Poland believe missile defense is necessary, and we are glad that the rest of NATO is coming round [to supporting it],” he said in an interview on board a government plane flying to Ukraine.
Saturday’s NATO-Russia meeting in Lisbon, part of a two-day summit of alliance leaders, will examine what input Moscow may have in a U.S.-backed missile defense system and will also discuss coordination on issues from Afghanistan to piracy.
(Reuters)
